West Seattle, Washington
24 Tuesday
(WSB file photo)
When Washington State Ferries held public meetings last month (WSB coverage here) to launch planning for its Fauntleroy terminal replacement, creation of a new Community Advisory Group was promised. Today, WSF is inviting interested community members to apply:
Today through April 23, we are accepting applications from community members interested in joining a Community Advisory Group (CAG) for the project. The CAG, along with an Executive Leadership Group and Technical Advisory Group, will play a critical role in helping WSF shape plans that address transportation needs while balancing the needs of multiple communities served by and adjacent to the terminal.
The CAG will advise WSF and work collaboratively to generate ideas and provide input on which issues should be addressed in this project. Members also will help identify and provide input about potential alternatives and share ongoing feedback on the broader community engagement process. The CAG will include membership from the three communities served by the “Triangle Route” (Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth) to encourage cross-community dialogue and collaborative solutions.
We are seeking people to apply who live near the ferry terminal, regularly ride the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth ferry route, or have an understanding of the area’s regional transportation, economic, community, and environmental issues. …
-WSF is recruiting approximately 20 people to serve on the CAG.
-The CAG will meet regularly throughout the planning phase, expected to last through 2023.
-Meetings will last a few hours and could take place during the day/evening and virtually or in person (once it is safe to do so).
The new start date for closing Sylvan Way’s east end is part of the weekly preview for the Delridge repaving-and-more project. Here are the main points, from SDOT:
*The Sylvan Way SW intersection closure has been rescheduled to begin as early as April 6. Local access will remain available for Home Depot, Sherwin-Williams, and ampm via the Sylvan Way SW and SW Orchard St intersection.
*Bus stop upgrades are happening throughout the corridor including at SW Hudson St, SW Holly St, SW Myrtle St, SW Graham St, and SW Holden St
*Roadway upgrades on SW Hudson St between Delridge Way SW and 25th Ave SW beginning soon
*The west side of SW Hudson St will be closed as a part of this work
‘*Roadway demolition on the west side of Delridge Way SW between the Longfellow Creek Green Space and SW Graham St is beginning next week
*Potholing for duct bank work resumes next week on the east side of Delridge Way SW between SW Holden St and SW Thistle St
See the full preview of next week’s work by going here. For project backstory and info on contacting the team, go here.
From the “you asked, so we checked” file: A reader note this morning reminded us that the mayor’s office had announced two weeks ago that the city was ‘developing a plan to reinstate the 72-hour parking ordinance that will be back in effect starting April 1, 2021.” That day has arrived, but no followup announcement ensued, so we asked about the status. The reply came from mayor’s office spokesperson Rachel Schulkin:
The 72-hour parking rule suspension included in the latest COVID-19 Executive Order ended yesterday (3/31/2021). We will not immediately resume issuing citations starting April 1 and will instead have a grace period in which we remind the public about the parking rules.
SPD and SDOT are finalizing an education plan. Typically, when there’s a change, the City has a period of education in which SDOT and SPD work together to get the message out in a variety of ways including social and media relations, coupled with Parking Enforcement “courtesy notices” letting people know about the new requirements and that they are technically in violation. After that period, the City will then start to enforce with citations.
Our question didn’t specifically address people living in vehicles, but the reply addressed that too:
Regarding outreach, the City has implemented a series of programs including SPU Purple Bag Program, SPU Pump Out Pilot Program, Scofflaw Mitigation Work, Safe Park for Vehicles, client assistance with diversion funds to help with vehicle repair and will continue its practice of providing outreach and connecting individuals living in their vehicles to services and shelter through City-contracted Outreach coordinated by the HOPE team.
The city announced the rule’s suspension in March of last year, for two weeks that became 12 months.
(Kitsap Transit photo)
Kitsap Transit launches its third cross-Sound passenger-ferry route today, another one that’ll be in view off West Seattle – eight weekday round trips between Southworth and downtown Seattle. The system already runs passenger ferries to downtown >from Kingston and Bremerton, all authorized by a 2016 ballot measure. The Southworth run will use the same dock there as Washington State Ferries, using the M/V Enetai, the first of two bow-loading vessels built for Kitsap Transit. Crossing time is just under half an hour. It’ll be fare-free for the first month, then $2 eastbound and $10 westbound starting in May.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Will West Seattle get back some of the bus service it’s lost? And what’s the deal with some of the most-challenged policies post-West Seattle Bridge closure? Those were the two big topics at this month’s West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting, online this past Thursday night.
METRO’S FUTURE: King County Councilmember Joe McDermott and Metro planner Graydon Newman were the guests for this topic. McDermott said it’s a subject with which he has personal experience, since he took the 56/57 to downtown pre-pandemic, though now his commute route is a set of stairs in his home. However, he said, the council doesn’t get into the details of route planning – it sticks to big-picture issues. With that, Newman took centerstage. Having just launched the spring service change, he said, Metro is now in the thick of “service restoration planning” for September – “making a big effort” to restore some suspended service.
A new road closure is part of the weekly update on the Delridge Way repaving-and-more project preparing for the RapidRide H Line launch. Sylvan Way between Orchard and Delridge “will be closed as early as March 31 for roadway demolition and paving,” SDOT says, adding that the closure will continue “into April.” The somewhat parallel leg of Orchard will be the recommended detour to get to and from the rest of Sylvan Way. Other key points for the week ahead:
*SW Trenton St on the east side of Delridge Way SW is closed and will remain closed for several weeks to complete roadway, sidewalk, and curb ramp paving in the area. SW Thistle St has temporarily re-opened during this closure.
*Landscaping is beginning throughout the corridor and will continue into April
*Roadway and electrical upgrades on SW Hudson St between Delridge Way SW and Puget Blvd SW have been rescheduled
*Roadway demolition on Delridge Way SW near the SW Findlay St intersection will flip to the west side beginning as early as March 29
*Intersection upgrades continue at SW Kenyon St and SW Holden St
The full weekly work-plan preview is here. The work is scheduled to continue into fall, with the Route 120/RapidRide H conversion expected next year.
In July, the city will add another $20 to the vehicle-license fee. Before that money starts rolling in, they’re working on the plan for what to do with the $7 million a year that it’s expected to generate. This SDOT Blog post has an overview of what they’ve come up with so far.
Now they’re asking what you think. Read the proposal and answer the survey by next Tuesday morning (March 30th).
Work will start as soon as tomorrow for some of the 70+ new speed humps on the way to Highland Park/South Delridge as part of the Reconnect West Seattle Home Zone plans. The map and announcement are from SDOT:
SDOT will be installing speed humps on SW Henderson St between 10th Ave SW and 12th Ave SW to discourage speeding.
• Construction is anticipated to begin around March 25. The date may change depending on weather and crew availability.
• Work hours are approximately 9 AM to 3 PM to avoid peak commute times.
• We will put up “no park” signs near the speed hump locations in advance of the construction.
• A flagger will direct traffic around speed hump locations while they are being built.
• It will take a few hours to build each speed hump and let them dry/cool down before people can drive on them.
• Temporary chevron markings will be put on the speed humps. They will be replaced with permanent markings after one month once the speed humps fully “cure” (harden).
The full plans for this area and the rest of Highland Park/South Delridge/Riverview were shown at a meeting earlier this month – here’s our coverage.
Even before the West Seattle Bridge closure, it was clear WSB readers are deeply interested in transportation – it’s a top topic in our most-read, most-discussed stories. So if you’re among those for whom it’s a topic of major interest, here’s a chance to take your interest to the next level – join the West Seattle Transportation Coalition board. Here’s the announcement we received:
How do we manage travel while the bridge is closed, handle COVID-19 budget cuts, and build Sound Transit 3? The high bridge repair/replace decision has been made, but big questions and challenges are still ahead of us. And they’ll have long-lasting effects on our community.
Serving on the WSTC board will give you the chance to influence these decisions, and converse directly with elected officials and agencies about issues, big and small, that affect our peninsula. It’s always an exciting time for West Seattle transportation!
Come join us. No experience is necessary, just a willingness to learn more about transportation in our region. A diversity of opinions is welcome and we’d love to broaden our board to include members from neighborhoods and constituencies whose voices are not always represented.
Visit us at westseattletc.org and join us at our next monthly meeting on March 25 from 6:30-8:30 pm, whether you wish to run for a board position or not. Move the people!
In its nearly eight years of existence, the WSTC has had board members spanning an age range from high school to retired, so don’t rule yourself out, whatever your age or background!
P.S. Here’s a fact sheet about the WSTC.
(SDOT graphic from last fall)
Last year, after reader tips, we reported on neighbors’ concern about a seemingly sudden SDOT plan to install “diverters’ to restrict 26th SW traffic at two intersections, Genesee and Brandon. While SDOT saw it as a way to lower traffic on the 26th SW Delridge Neighborhood Greenway, neighbors noted that it would create chokepoints at two of the few east-west connections between North Delridge and the rest of the peninsula. After saying the idea was shelved last summer, SDOT revived it last fall; a community meeting ensued in October, with SDOT suggesting options, and a offering a survey online.
Today, half a year later, SDOT has announced a decision, though it’s still not the final word: No diverters … for at least another year and a half or so. The email announcement notes that “a majority of the comments and survey responses want(ed) to maintain the current access at the two intersections and not install the diverters.” Today’s announcement continues:
We also gathered traffic counts along 26th Ave SW and the surrounding streets where we were planning to evaluate several traffic management and street calming options, including the traffic diverters at the intersections with SW Genesee St and SW Brandon St. The data from these counts showed that traffic volumes and speeds were lower since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge in 2020.
We have decided to hold off on this work and will begin reevaluating these potential traffic-calming measures again after traffic returns to the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge some time in 2022.
In the meantime, the Delridge Neighborhood Greenway will still see upgrades as part of the Delridge RapidRide H Line project. This includes:
Building additional speed humps
Refreshing the pavement markings with new paint
Updating directional signs
Upgrades to neighborhood greenway connections from Delridge Way SW on SW Andover St, SW Hudson St, and SW Findlay St, including making signal updates, refreshing the pedestrian crossings, and improving ADA accessibility.
SDOT also cited reduced traffic when dropping the plan the first time last summer, but revived it anyway; The diverters were not part of the original corridor plan.
If you have something to say about SDOT‘s proposal to close the gap in the Duwamish River Trail with a two-way protected bicycle lane replacing part of a general traffic lane on West Marginal Way, time is running out. Tomorrow is the last day for nearby businesses to answer this survey; everyone else can send comments via WestSeattleBridge@seattle.gov. The latest updates on the proposal happened this week at meetings of the Seattle Freight Advisory Board and Maritime Town Hall. Those yielded some new information about what it would take to build the path in the sidewalk area on the west side of West Marginal south of the bridge – one of four options reviewed:
The sidewalk path, Option A, would cost $2.5 million, SDOT estimates – 80 percent of that because of utility poles that would have to be moved – compared to $400,000 for the in-street lane:
SDOT wants to build the in-street version, Option B:
The freight board opposes the bike lane and supports removing the “lane drop” by the Duwamish Longhouse, where part of the southbound outside lane was removed as an interim safety measure pending the future nearby crossing light, and some street parking was added. But the board supports the crossing improvements, noting in a November letter to city government that the crossing project is entirely separate from the bike-lane matter.
WHAT’S NEXT: SDOT says a decision memo will be “drafted” later this month, with a decision finalized in April. If the decision is to build the bicycle lane, that’ll happen in August, when a temporary version of the new crossing signal near the Longhouse goes in.
(WSB file photo, Fauntleroy WSF terminal)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“We have to do something – we can’t just sit on our thumbs and hope it’ll be OK.”
That’s how Washington State Ferries director of terminal engineering Dave Sowers explains the need to replace the Fauntleroy dock, a project its neighbors have been long anticipating/dreading.
He was one of several WSF managers who took part in a midday community meeting today to “launch the planning process” for what will likely be the largest West Seattle transportation project between the city’s bridge repair/reopening and Sound Transit‘s light rail. The meeting, which was one-third presentation and two-thirds Q&A, was the first of two online kickoff meetings, with the second planned for 6 pm tomorrow (Thursday, March 18th). Here’s the slide deck with toplines:
Though the terminal is part of West Seattle’s Fauntleroy neighborhood, it’s not seen as a solely West Seattle project, the WSF reps made it clear.
4:35 PM: Thanks to Ethan for the tip via Twitter – M/V Kittitas on the Triangle Route is out of service for a while. Email alert from WSF says at least its next four runs are canceled due to a crew shortage – “the 4:30 pm from Southworth to Vashon, the 4:50 pm from Vashon to Fauntleroy, the 5:20 pm from Fauntleroy to Vashon, and the 5:45 pm from Vashon to Southworth.” Ethan says people on board Kittitas now are being dropped off at Southworth to await the arrival of M/V Cathlamet in half an hour.
6:50 PM: WSF’s latest email alert says Kittitas is back in service but still short on crew and “will sail at reduced capacity for the remainder of the service day. This may limit a customer’s ability to sail on the sailing they prefer. Customers are encouraged to arrive early.” Vessel Watch shows it is still at Southworth, while Cathlamet has just left Vashon for Southworth, 30+ minutes late.
7:51 PM: The latest email update from WSF:
Both vessels are an estimated 35-45 minutes behind schedule due to an earlier service disruption. This delays the following sailings:
7:05 p.m., 7:25 p.m., 8:25 p.m. and the 8:40 p.m. from Vashon to Fauntleroy
7:35 p.m., 7:55 p.m., 8:50 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. from Fauntleroy to Vashon
8:00 p.m. and 9:20 p.m. from Vashon to Southworth
8:20 p.m. from Southworth to Vashon
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
More than 70 locations for speed humps/cushions are part of the final plans for “Home Zone” traffic-calming in Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge neighborhoods besieged by detouring drivers since the West Seattle Bridge closed a year ago.
The plans were presented last night – along with side notes about a new stretch of greenway and the bridge itself – at an online meeting led by SDOT and Department of Neighborhoods reps.
THE PLANS: First, the definition of Home Zone:
SDOT did traffic counts at more than 39 locations and took three walking tours while coming up with the draft plan presented in January. They also offered a survey that brought 542 responses. 59 percent of respondents felt the draft plan was missing something that would make them feel safer – 300 suggestions came in. “About 30 percent were things we can accommodate in the Home Zone plan or look into further,” said SDOT’s David Burgesser. The rest were too general, not feasible, too expensive, or put aside for future consideration.
SOUTH AREA HOME ZONE PLAN
That sign, which informed us we were speeding on northbound West Marginal Way SW this evening, is one of several that SDOT has added to West Seattle streets since the high bridge closed almost a year ago. More are on the way in the weeks ahead – here’s the list provided by SDOT’s Ethan Bergerson:
New speed radar sign locations:
1 on Dumar Way SW (northbound)
2 on Avalon Way (between SW Spokane St and SW Yancy/SW Andover)
4 on Fauntleroy (1 on each side of the road near the Ferry terminal parking lots; 1 northbound side at Fauntleroy/Raymond; 1 southbound side at Fauntleroy/Brandon)
2 on SW Barton St (1 on northbound side at Barton/26th; 1 on southbound at Barton/30th)
These are NOT enforcement-camera signs – just signs to tell you how fast (or slow) you’re going. Each of these signs costs $25,000, according to the SDOT website.
(34th SW, looking south from SW Webster)
Though their long-term future isn’t finalized yet, West Seattle still has three stretches of what the city calls “Stay Healthy Streets” – High Point/Sunrise Heights (map), Puget Ridge/Highland Park (map), and Alki Point (map; also known as a “Keep Moving Street” due to its park proximity). When these and others were launched citywide 11 months ago, SDOT explained them as streets closed to through traffic, to increase the chances people could walk, roll, or ride while safely distancing. The chosen routes were also chosen as convenient to neighborhood businesses. What the city did not do was restrict parking. But somebody along one of the original SHS stretches seems to think otherwise, leaving notes such as this one on parked cars:
The photo was sent by Nicholas Marianetti of nearby Best of Hands Barrelhouse, who posted in the WSB Community Forums about the “annoying note-leaver” almost six months ago, then emailed us this week to say it’s still happening. He and patrons of his business at 35th and Webster, one block west of the SHS, have received them. The note-leaver contends that Stay Healthy Streets is off-limits to “apartments, businesses, bus-takers.” That would be contrary to city policy that street parking is open to everyone, not just nearby residents. And SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson verified to WSB today that the note-taker’s contention is wrong;
Stay Healthy Streets are not restricted to residential parking only. Like any residential street, cut-thru traffic is discouraged but local access is allowed. Local access includes people who live or work on the street, are visiting people or local businesses, deliveries, waste pickup and emergency vehicles.
Marianetti says, “I don’t mind if someone wants to waste their time & resources doing this, but I am concerned that it can be harmful to my business as well as other local businesses by scaring potential customers away from being able to park, especially with all the construction currently going on. And as I mentioned before, I find these notes strewn about the street, sometimes in plastic baggies, causing more litter.” 35th/Webster has more than half a dozen businesses, occupying all four corners.
(WSB file photo)
Between the reopening of the West Seattle Bridge in 2022 and the opening of Sound Transit light rail in 2031 (or later), at least one more major West Seattle transportation project looms: Overhauling the Fauntleroy ferry terminal. Washington State Ferries has been talking about it for years, and terminal neighbors have been girding for battle over potential expansion as part of the plan. Now WSF says it’s ready to start the official “community engagement” part of what it says will be a “multi-year planning process, and has announced two online community meetings for later this month – 11 am Wednesday, March 17th, and 6 pm Thursday, March 18th. WSF’s announcement notes:
The Fauntleroy terminal was built in the 1950s and needs substantial work to address deficiencies of the aging and seismically vulnerable structure to maintain safe and reliable service on the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth ferry route. The meetings will include information on why the current Fauntleroy terminal needs to be replaced, how project plans will be developed and how the community can expect to be involved.
You’ll have to pre-register to get the meeting links – go here for March 17th; go here for March 18th. (WSF says the presentations at both meetings will be the same.) The project is expected to be built around 2025-2027.
Metro has announced the plan for its March “service change,” which takes effect March 20th. Changes include:
*Adding/restoring some trips “to address travel demand that at times exceeds COVID-19 passenger limits,” including, in West Seattle, Routes 50, 60, and 128.
*Suspension of some trips on certain routes, described as “peak commuter routes where ridership has not yet returned,” including, in West Seattle. Routes 21X, 55, 56, 57,.
Metro also says some suspended routes will continue that way at least until the fall service change “due to lower ridership demand and available financial resources,” including, in West Seattle, Routes 22, 37, 113, and 116.
See the full announcement here. You can get the route-by-route details here.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Bridge updates spanned much of this month’s West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting – the West Seattle high bridge and low bridge, and the 1st Avenue South Bridge. Last night’s online attendees also heard about an aerial alternative.
First, the bridge briefing:
The state ferry MV Cathlamet has just returned to the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth much sooner than expected, after repairs were completed quickly, so that route is now back to two Issaquah-class vessels.
(WSDOT photo)
Two 1st Avenue South Bridge updates today:
NORTHBOUND WORK THIS WEEKEND: WSDOT says grid-deck work will close two northbound lanes of the bridge 6 am-noon this Saturday and Sunday (February 20-21).
DATES FINALLY SET FOR SOUTHBOUND LANE CLOSURES: The southbound 1st Avenue South Bridge work originally planned for January, then postponed to February, and most recently pushed to March, now has a start date: March 4th. From the announcement:
The southbound SR 99 Duwamish River Bridge will be reduced from four to two lanes 24 hours a day for 15 consecutive days starting March 4. The work also will require four overnight closures between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. – two early in the project and two at the end. …
During the lane reductions, crews from Massana Construction Inc. will replace bearing pads and repair some of the steel that supports the bridge. The bearing pads – masonry pads that the girder rests on – were part of the initial construction when the southbound SR 99 Duwamish River Bridge opened in 1996. These pads are worn out and need to be replaced. The pads allow precise setting of the elevation of the bridge’s roadway.
Again, that’s only the SOUTHBOUND side; the northbound side, which is actually a separate, older bridge, is not involved in this project.
(WSB photo, December)
Since the onset of the pandemic, West Seattle has lost some Metro bus routes, and lost some service on others. Should/will any of that service be restored? Metro has a survey open right now, as it looks toward decisions for the September service change. The survey asks whether you are still riding Metro or not, as well as which of the still-operating routes you do or would ride, now or when the pandemic’s over, and it asks your thoughts on the suspended (like West Seattle’s 22 and 37) and reduced-service routes. Deadline to answer it is March 8th; you’ll find it linked here, in six languages.
A(M/V Cathlamet approaching Fauntleroy during last Saturday’s windy weather – photo by Jerry Simmons)
Two questions during the first of two Washington State Ferries community meetings dealt with a major WSF project that’s just a few years away in West Seattle – the Fauntleroy dock overhaul.
“We’re just starting to look at (it),” said WSF’s Nicole McIntosh. I-976 and COVID pushed back planning but “the 2025-2027 biennium” is when they expect construction, “but we have a lot of planning to get there.” Will WSF consider separating passenger and vehicle loading? McIntosh said they’ll be looking at a wide range of alternatives as they plan – those could include overhead loading, a larger dock, even relocating the dock. She promised the process would include “interacting with our customers and stakeholders.”
At the start of the meeting, Patty Rubstello, new WSDOT assistant secretary in charge of WSF, introduced herself. She said she spent most of her career – with an engineering background – “on the highways side of WSDOT.” She’s been in charge of the WSDOT toll program. She mentioned the recently reported ridership drop – 41 percent, lowest since 1975, first time since 1951 that the systems carried more vehicles than people. They’re still stressing travel “for essential trips only.”
(WSB photo, September 2019)
In overall highlights, ferry-system electrification – spotlighted when Gov. Inslee visited Vigor on Harbor Island a year and a half ago – remains a priority. A new hybrid Olympic-class ferry starts construction later this year, to go into service in 2024. In Q&A, more details came up – one is funded, they could build four more. They’re expected to run on the Mukilteo-Clinton and Seattle-Bremerton routes. WSF’s Matt von Ruden said they’ve just completed preliminary design and haven’t yet negotiated the price.
WSF’s Stephanie Cirkovich reviewed service plans for this spring and summer, after a quick review of how service changed and was reduced because of the pandemic. It’s still too “unpredictable” to set service-change dates like in the past, so now they are focused on the “four pillars of service.” That’s why they are expecting to make a few changes on May 9th, including returning a third vessel to the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route, to operate “8 hours a day on weekends.”
More questions: Will WSF require vaccination for employees in customer-facing roles? No, replied McIntosh. But they’ll continue requiring masks for everyone.
When will galleys be reopened on the ferries? Their vendor is ready to get back up and running, said Cirkovich, but it’s not safe yet. When they do return to service, it’ll be gradual. “At this time we’re still telling people to stay in their cars,” for example.
Has the staffing shortage stabilized? Short answer, no. WSF’s Kim Monroe said training has been difficult during the pandemic which means hiring has been tough. They used to have 18 people per training class – now they’re limited to 5. And of course COVID has affected existing staff, too.
What’s the remaining lifespan on the Issaquah-class ferries (three of which usually serve Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth)? They’re just past midlife, said von Ruden. “They’re very good designs … the workhorse of the fleet.” No vessel-replacement plan for them yet.
Future changes? Cirkovich hopes they’ll be good ones but the pandemic is still unpredictable – hoping to get back eventually to something that resembles “normal, regular service.” No plan to restore late-night sailings any time soon since there aren’t events that would require them. Jon Vezina added that funding is uncertain too – since budget matters aren’t final and the legislature runs to April.
Eleven WSF managers were there to answer questions, so if you have one, tonight’s 6 pm meeting is an excellent chance to ask yours – register here to get attendance info. Or you can send questions any time to wsfcomms@wsdot.wa.gov.
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